Presents
Friedrich Gernsheim
Piano Quartet No.2 in c minor, Op.20
Gernsheim's Piano Trio No.2 in c minor dates from 1870. Ten years separate it from his first piano quartet which showed the influence of Mendelssohn and to a lesser extent Schumann, the result of his training at the Leipzig Conservatory. By the time he came to write his second piano quartet, he had moved away from this. The big first movement, Allegro molto moderato, between its several dramatic episodes, conveys a sense of profundity. The second movement, is a lovely Adagio, peaceful and calm. The finale, a lively Rondo, opens a bit like a Hungarian folk dance and has a more lyrical and pastoral middle which provides a nice contrast.
Friedrich Gernsheim (1839-1916) is a composer whose music was held in the highest regard by critics during his lifetime. No less an authority than Wilhelm Altmann, perhaps the most influential chamber music critic of all time, has written that Gernsheim’s chamber music is poetic and of a high intellectual content. But Gernsheim had two misfortunes, which led to his music not obtaining the reputation it might have. The first was to be born within a decade of Brahms. A misfortune because, in what is surely an extraordinary phenomenon, virtually every composer in the German-speaking countries born within a decade either side of Brahms were so eclipsed by him that their reputation and music all but disappeared when that era was over. Names such as Rheinberger, Reinecke, Kiel, Bruch, Dessoff, and Herzogenberg, among many others, come to mind. The second misfortune was that being Jewish, his music was officially banned during the Nazi era, which insured that it would fall into oblivion. It is only now, close to a century after his death that it is being rediscovered with great delight. Gernsheim, somewhat of a piano and violin virtuoso as a child, was eventually educated at the famous Leipzig Conservatory where he studied piano with Ignaz Moscheles and violin with Ferdinand David. After graduating, he continued his studies in Paris, getting to know Saint Saëns, Lalo, Liszt and Rossini. Despite his admiration for France and the French, he returned to Germany and during the course of his life, he held academic and conducting positions in Cologne, Rotterdam and finally Berlin. He used his position as a conductor to advance the cause of Brahms’ music. The two, while not close friends, carried on a correspondence for many years during which it was clear that Brahms had considerable respect and admiration for Gernsheim’s work. An accolade which was, in Brahms’ case, no mere flattery as Brahms only very rarely praised the works of other composers.
This piano quartet, if not a masterpiece, certainly comes quite close. It deserves to have a place in the repertoire and be regularly presented in concert. But amateurs also will not want to miss out on the chance to play this first rate, gratifying work. Out of print for over a century, we are pleased to make it available once again.
Parts: $34.95
